Knob and spindle connecting device



M11111 15, 193$ 11. W. TONG 2,111,254

KNOB AND SPINDLE CONNECTING DEVICE I Filed June 12, 1957 2 Sheets-$heet l i fi own eyf March 15, 1938. J. w TONG 2,111,254

' KNOB AND SPINDLE CONNECTING DEVICE Filed June 12, 1,937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 1 10;]1. I I I ml? 1 i w i 26 20 19 V I 4 A]? 2 a 3' ,Mfli i 32 7// v .ELUG/Q L 07" Wrui WWW Patented Mar. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE v John W. Tong, Buffalo, N. Y., assignor to Helen M. Tong, Warsaw, N. Y.

Application June 12, 1937, Serial No. 147,952

9 Claims.

This invention relates to a door lock or latch and more particularly to improved means for adjustably and detachably connecting the knob and the spindle or shaft whereby the mechanism of the lock or latch is operated manually.

In door looks or latches heretofore in common use the knob and spindle have usually been connected by means of a screw mounted on the neck of the knob and engaging one or another of a plurality of holes formed in a longitudinal row on the side of the spindle, thereby effecting a coarse adjustment of the knob and spindle relative to each other, while the fine or finished adjustment of these parts relative to each other was effected by the use of one or more compensating washers which were interposed between these members in order to take up any remaining slack and prevent looseness between the same and rattling noise when operating the same. This construction however is unsatisfactory inasmuch as the screw of such a fastening is often lost and permits of accidentally pulling the knob off the spindle and it is also objectional on account of the liability of injuring the hand or tearing a gloove while operating the knob by hand in case the fastening screw has become loose and projects outwardly beyond the peripheral surface of the neck of the door knob. 1

The objects of this invention are to provide fastening means for detachably and adjustably connecting the knob and spindle of a door knob in a manner which will not only permit of conveniently and easily adjusting the knob on the spindle to suit different thicknesses of doors; also to avoid the possibility of any parts projecting from the periphery of the doorknob neck which would be liable to injure the hand or tear a glove; also to so organize this fastening means that the knob can be quickly removed from and replaced an on the spindle when this becomes necessary; also to dispense with the use of compensating washers and the inconvenience incident thereto; and also to provide a spindle and door knob coupling and adjusting means which are of very simple con- 45 struction, capable of being produced at low cost and not liable to get out of order.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevation, partly in section, of a door having the spindle and knob 5 of its lock or latch coupled by one form of my improved fastening and adjusting device.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken on line 2-2, Fig. 1.

'Fig. 3 is a vertical section, on an enlarged 55 scale, taken on line 3--3, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the spindle of the lock or latch.

Fig. 5 is a similar view of the coupling member. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the door knob which is constructed in accordance with my in- 5 vention.

Fig. 7 is a View, similar to Fig. 1, showing a modified form of my invention.

Fig. 8 is a horizontal section taken on line 8-B, Fig. '7. 10

Fig. 9 is a vertical cross section, on an enlarged scale, taken on line 9-9, Fig. 7,

Fig. 10 is a perspective View of the coupling member shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9;

Fig, 11 is a similar view of one section of the 15 spindle used in the construction shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9.

In the following description similar characters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to Figs. 1-6, the numeral Ill represents the door upon which the door lock or latch l I is mounted, bath of which may be of any suitable construction. The improved means for operating the mechanism of the lock or latch com- 25 prises a rotary operating shaft or spindle, a knob'mounted on the end of the spindle and means for adjustably and detachably connecting the spindle and knob.

The spindle passes through the door and the internal mechanism of the lock or latch so that the latter can be operated from the exterior of the door on either side thereof in the usual manner. In the construction shown in Figs.

1, 2, and 4 this spindle is made in one piece and of tubular form and square in cross section and comprises a lower horizontal wall 12, two upright longitudinal side walls 13 and an upper wall formed by two flanges l4 projecting horizontally inward toward each other from the upper edges 40 of the side walls I3 but separated from each other by an intervening longitudinal slot l5, as best shown in Figs. 3 and 4. This spindle is preferably bent out of sheet metal into the above described shape, but if desired the same may be made of extruded metal or in any other approved manner.

Although a door knob is usually mounted on both ends of the spindle which project from the lock or latch on opposite sides of the same, only one of such knobs is shown in the present case on the right-hand end of the spindle, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but it is to be understood that a similar knob may also be mounted on the lefthand end of the spindle. As shown in Figs. 1,

2, and 6, this knob comprises a bulb or handle I6 and a neck I! projecting rearwardly from this bulb toward the lock or latch.

Formed lengthwise in this neck is a socket I8 which is square in cross section and which receives one of the ends of the correspondingly shaped spindle which latter is of the same external shape and dimension so that a comparatively close fit is produced between the periphery of the spindle and the bore of the socket which will avoid any undue looseness between the parts.

In its upper part the neck of the door knob is provided with a locking opening I 9 which extends from the socket therein radially outward to the periphery of this neck and in the upper side of this socket the same is provided with a longitudinal guide groove 20 extending from the rear end of the neck to the locking opening I9. The rear side 2| of this locking opening is beveled or inclined somewhat, as shown in Fig. 1, for a purpose which will presently appear.

Slidable lengthwise within the bore of the spindle is a slide which forms part of a coupling member whereby the spindle and knob are adjust-ably connected. This slide is square in cross section and fits into the bore of the spindle so that the slide is free to move lengthwise in the spindle but is compelled to turn therewith, these parts being fitted together sufiiciently close so they will not rattle. This slide is preferably constructed in the form of a tube and comprises an upper horizontal wall 22, two upright side walls 23 projecting downwardly from opposite longitudinal edges of the upper wall, and a lower wall formed by two longitudinal flanges 24 projecting horizontally toward each other from the lower edges of the side walls, as best shown in Figs. 3 and 5.

Catch means are provided for detachably and adjustably connecting or coupling the spindle and the knob which means may be varied but which, as shown in Figs. 1-6 for example, are constructed as follows:

From the front edge of the upper wall of the slide a resilient arm 25 projects forwardly in the tubular spindle and forms part of the coupling member whereby the spindle and knob are connected. A locking finger is provided on this arm which is adapted to couple this slide with the door knob and which consists of an outer push plate 26 adapted to be arranged in the outer part of the locking opening I9, an inclined web 2! connecting the front end of the resilient arm 25 with the rear end of the push plate 26 and adapted to engage with the inclined rear side 2| of the locking opening I9, and a stiffening lug or rib 28 projecting inwardly from the front end of the push plate 26, as shown in Fig. 1. This slide, resilient arm and coupling finger are preferably integrally made from a single sheet of spring metal so that the arm 25 has the necessary resilience and the slide and locking finger have the required stifiness to perform their function.

Adjusting means are provided for holding the slide in different positions on the spindle for the purpose of adjusting the knob on the spindle to suit the thickness of the door. In their preferred construction these adjusting means comprise two longitudinal rows of seats 29 arranged on the outer sides of the upright walls 23 of the slide, each of these seats being of conical form and the several seats of one row being arranged opposite the spaces between the conical seats of the other row so that the seats of these two rows are staggered. In its opposite vertical walls I3, I3 the operating spindle is provided with two internally threaded openings 30 which are transversely in line and either of which is adapted to be engaged by a clamping screw 3| which has an inner conical end 32 adapted to engage with one of the conical seats of the two rows arranged on opposite sides of the slide.

In assembling the spindle, door knob and adjusting means the slide is first slipped into the spindle from its outer end until it is between the openings 30 in the side walls of the spindle and then the clamping screw is introduced into one of these openings and its conical inner end is engaged with one of the conical seats 29 of the slide. Thereafter this spindle is pushed through the latch or lock and the door and the neck of the door knob is slipped onto the end of the spindle while the spring arm 25 is deflected inwardly and its locking finger is engaged with the guide groove 20. If it is found that the slide has been secured in the proper position to the spindle the locking finger of the coupling device will be moved outwardly by resilience of the arm 25 and into the locking opening I9 when the rear end of the neck I! reaches the outer surface of the door. At this time a wedging engagement will be produced between the inclined surface 2| of the neck I! and the inclined web 21 of the locking finger so that the resilience of the spring arm 25 will constantly tend to draw the neck of the door knob against the outer side of the door and thereby prevent any looseness between these parts and avoid rattling while operating the door lock or latch.

If however it is found that the slide of the coupling device has been set in too far on the spindle to permit the locking finger to engage properly with the locking opening I9 in the neck I'I then the slide is released by withdrawing the clamping screw 3| and reengaging the same with another of these adjusting seats 29 for the purpose of setting the slide farther outward on the spindle to permit the locking finger of the coupling device to engage with the locking opening of the door knob. On the other hand if upon assembling the knob with the spindle it is found that its rear end does not stand properly relative to the respective side of the door as will produce a sufficiently close fit and avoid rattling then the slide may be in a similar manner shifted farther inwardly on the spindle to take up the slack which is present between the door knob neck and the respective side of the door.

By providing the coupling slide with adjusting seats on its opposite sides and arranging the seats of these two rows so that each seat of one row is opposite a blank space between two seats of the other row it is possible to secure a coarse adjustment of the slide on the spindle by shifting the engagement of the clamping screw from one seat of the same row to another, and it is also possible to secure a fine adjustment between those parts by shifting the clamping screw 3| from one screw opening 30 in one side wall of the spindle to the companion opening in the opposite wall of the spindle and engaging the inner conical end of this screw with whatever coni cal seat of the respective row is most nearly in line with the screw to obtain the best positioning of this slide on the spindle in order to bring the rear end of the door knob neck into the desired position relative to the respective side of the door and permit of proper cooperation of the locking finger of the coupling device with the locking opening of the door knob.

By making the cooperating surfaces of the seats and the clamping screw of conical form the engagement of this screw with one or the other of these seats will have a drawing effect for the purpose of slightly shifting the slide relative to the spindle upon assembling the parts.

Whenever it is necessary to remove the door knob from the spindle as, for example, when the lock needs oiling, repairing or adjusting it is possible to quickly remove the. door knob from the spindle by simply pressing the push plate 26 of the coupling device inwardly a sufficient extent to disengage the locking finger from the locking opening l9 and permit the knob to slide with its guide groove 20 over this finger.

Reassembling of these parts may be effected with equal facility by reversing the operation just described.

Instead of making the spindle in one piece, as is customary in some forms of locks and latches, the same may be constructed in two sections 33 each of which is made substantially like the one piece spindle shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and is capable of turning independently of the other section in the manner well known in some types of locks and latches which are generally known as nightlatches. In such two-piece or sectional spindles the inner opposing ends of the same are usually connected by a swivel which in the present case consists of a bolt having its shank 34 passing through an opening 35 formed in the opposing inner edges of two lips 36 projecting transversely inward from the rear ends of the side walls I 3 of the respective spindle sections while the head 31 and nut 38 of this bolt bear against the inner sides of these lips, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

In the modified form of the coupling device shown in Figs. '7, 8, 9, and 10 the slide thereof comprises a bottom 39 and two upright side walls 40 rising from the opposite longitudinal edges of the bottom. A slide of this construction is adapted to move lengthwise in each section 33 of the divided spindle and the front ends of the side walls of this slide are spread apart so that the same flare forwardly, as shown at M in Figs. 8 and 10, and thus permit the same to yieldingly engage the side walls of the respective spindle section so as to produce a frictional fit between the same in order to avoid looseness and rattling noise.

At its front edge the bottom of the slide in the form shown in Figs. 7, 8, and 10 is provided with a depending adjusting jaw 42 which is adapted to engage with one or another of a plurality of adjusting ratchet teeth or serrations 43 arranged in a longitudinal row on the upper side of the bottom of the slide and each tooth having an upright rear side and an inclined front side, as shown in Fig. 7.

In the construction of the coupling device shown in Figs. '7, 8, and 10, the spring arm Mi, which carries the locking finger 2t, 2?, 28 at its front end, is arranged lengthwise over the upper open side of the slide 39, 4G and has its. rear end connected by a bow-shaped web d5 with the rear end of the slide bottom 39.

When assembling the construction shown in Figs. 7-11, the slide of the coupling member is first placed in the outer part of the respective spindle section, the neck of the knob is then slipped onto the outer end of this spindle section and the locking finger 26, 21, 28 is engaged with the opening E9 in the neck of the knob,

and then the knob and coupling member are pushed backwardly toward the door as far as possible. During this backward movement of the knob and coupling member the adjusting jaw 42 trips successively over the ratchet teeth 43 and when the knob reaches the end of its forward movement and bears tight against the respective side of the door then the same is held there by the jaw of the slide engaging with the abrupt side of the last ratchet tooth over which the jaw has tripped during its inward rearward movement thereby holding the several parts reliably in their operative position.

For dismembering the parts it is only necessary to push the finger piece or button 26, 21, 23 inwardly a sufficient extent to disengage the same from the opening id in the neck of the knob, in the manner hereto-fore described, whereupon the several parts may be easily separated for such purpose as may be desired.

For the purpose of avoiding the necessity of making the socket is in the neck of the knob and the cross section of the spindle exactly of the same dimensions and still produce a tight and non-rattling fit between the same when they are assembled, the side walls of the spindle are spread apart at their. upper edges as shown in Fig. 11, so that the same diverge or flare upwardly and thereby permit of a resilient and frictional engagement of the same with the adjacent surfaces of the knob socket l8, as shown in Fig. 9.

As a whole these means for adjustably coupling the door knob and spindle of the lock or latch are extremely simple in construction and owing to the few parts which constitute the same it is possible to manufacture them atcomparatively low cost. Moreover this construction permits of quickly assembling and dismembering the spindle and door knob whenever required, no compensating washers or adjusting screws are required, no parts are liable to become loose or misplaced, and at no time are there any parts projecting laterally from the neck of the door knob which might possibly injure the hand of the operator or the gloves which may be worn.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device of the character described, comprising an operating spindle, a knob provided in its neck with a longitudinal socket which receives said spindle and also provided with a locking opening extending radially from said socket to the periphery of said neck, a slide movable lengthwise on said spindle, a spring arm projecting longitudinally forward from said slide, a locking finger projecting laterally from said arm into said locking opening, and means for securing said slide in different longitudinal positions on said spindle including a plurality of conical seats arranged in a longitudinal row on said slide, and an adjusting screw arranged on said spindle and having a conical inner end adapted to engage with one or another of said seats.

2. A device of the character described, comprising an operating spindle, a knob provided in its neck with a longitudinal socket which receives said spindle and also provided with a locking opening extending radially from said socket to the periphery of said neck, a slide movable lengthwise on said spindle, a spring arm projecting longitudinally forward from said slide, a locking finger projecting laterally from said arm into said locking opening, and means for securing said slide in different longitudinal positions on said spindle including two longitudinal rows of seats arranged on opposite sides of said slide, the seats of one row being arranged opposite the spaces between the seats of the other row, and a fastening screw working in one or another of the threaded openings on either of the opposite sides of said spindle and engaging with one or another of the seats of either of said rows.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a tubular spindle which is square in cross section and provided in the central part of one of its walls with a longitudinal slot, a knob provided in its neck with a longitudinal socket which receives said spindle and whereby said spindle and knob may slide lengthwise relative to one another, and said neck being provided with a locking opening extending from said socket to the periphery of said neck, a slide of square cross section adjustable lengthwise in said spindle, a spring arm projecting lengthwise from the front end of said slide, a locking finger projecting laterally from the front end of said arm through said slot and into said opening, and a fastening screw mounted on the spindle and engaging the side of said slide.

4. A device of the character described, comprising a tubular spindle which is square in cross section and provided in the central part of one of its walls with a longitudinal slot, a knob provided in its neck with a longitudinal socket which receives said spindle and whereby said spindle and knob may slide lengthwise relative to one another, and said neck being provided with a locking opening extending from said socket to the periphery of said neck, a slide of square cross section adjustable lengthwise in said spindle, a spring arm projecting lengthwise from the front end of said slide, a locking finger projecting laterally from the front end of said arm through said slot and into said opening, and a fastening screw mounted on the spindle and engaging the side of said slide, said slide arm and finger being formed integrally from sheet metal and said slide having a top wall, two side walls projecting downwardly from opposite edges of the top wall and a bottom wall formed by two flanges projecting toward each other from the lower edges of the side walls, said arm being formed on the top wall of the slide, and said finger being formed on the outer end of said arm.

5. A device of the character described, comprising a tubular spindle having a longitudinal slot, a knob slidable lengthwise on said spindle and having a locking opening, and means for coupling said spindle and knob including a slide adjustable lengthwise in said spindle and a spring catch extending from said slide laterally through said slot in the spindle, and having a finger engaging with said locking opening.

6. A device of the character described, comprising a tubular spindle having a longitudinal slot, a knob slidable lengthwise on said spindle and having a locking opening, and means for coupling said spindle and knob including a slide adjustable lengthwise in said spindle, a spring catch extending from said slide laterally through said slot in the spindle and having a finger engaging with said locking opening, a row of teeth arranged on the inner side of said spindle, and a jaw arranged on said slide and adapted to engage with one or another of said teeth.

7. A device of the character described, comprising a tubular spindle having a longitudinal slot, a knob slidable lengthwise on said spindle and having a locking opening, and means for coupling said spindle and knob including a slide adjustable lengthwise in said spindle and having a bottom and two longitudinal side walls, a spring catch projecting through said slot and having an arm connected at one end with one end of said bottom and having its opposite end provided with a finger engaging with said looking opening, an adjusting jaw arranged on the opposite end of said bottom, and a longitudinal row of serrations or ratchet teeth arranged on the inner side of said slide and engaged by said aw.

8. A device of the character described, comprising a tubular spindle having a longitudinal slot, a knob slidable lengthwise on said spindle and having a locking opening, and means for coupling said spindle and knob including a slide adjustable lengthwise in said spindle and having a bottom and two longitudinal side walls, a spring catch projecting through said slot and having an arm connected at one end with one end of said bottom and having its opposite end provided with a finger engaging with said locking opening, an adjusting jaw arranged on the opposite end of said bottom, and a longitudinal row of serrations or ratchet teeth arranged on the inner side of said slide and engaged by said jaw, said slide having its side walls diverging from its bottom and yieldingly engaging the free edges with the adjacent inner sides of the spindle.

9. A device of the character described, comprising a tubular spindle having a longitudinal slot, a knob slidable lengthwise on said spindle and having a locking opening, and means for coupling said spindle and knob including a slide adjustable lengthwise in said spindle and having a bottom and two longitudinal side walls, a spring catch projecting through said slot and having an arm connected at one end with one end of said bottom and having its opposite end provided with a finger engaging with said locking opening, an adjusting jaw arranged on the opposite end of said bottom, and a longitudinal row of serrations or ratchet teeth arranged on the inner side of said slide and engaged by said jaw, said spindle having its side walls flaring relative to the slot thereof and the free edges of its walls bearing frictionally against the adjacent surfaces of the socket in said knob.

JOHN W. TONG. 

